Maggie
by Diana E. Gray
Summary: When a young culture writer follows her instincts and investigates a murder at the Penrose Theater, she hopes the article will launch her career in the crime division. Little does she suspect her story will set her apart. (Entry for the 2016 Court Records OC Contest)
1. Prologue - A New Assignment

"Zene! Zene! Get in here!"

Maggie Zene, 24, journalist, snapped her head up quickly, blowing her brown bangs out of her eyes. Her editor was calling loudly from his office and her cubicle walls did nothing to muffle his shrill screeches. She dropped her pencil, careful not to smudge the sketch of the flower on her desk she'd been carefully shading. The other writers gave her pitying looks as she slowly stood, making her way to her editor's office. Calling this early in the morning meant one of three things – a new assignment (which meant more work), a transferal between departments (which meant an abrupt shift in an otherwise boring day), or some negative performance review from the higher ups (which meant she'd be cleaning out her desk before lunch).

"Yes sir?" Maggie asked wearily, entering the office. "Zene, I have very exciting news for you," her editor, a forty-year-old bespectacled mouse of a man greeted her. That eliminated the last one then, Maggie thought, feeling relieved. More than that, she started to sense stirrings of hope in her heart – was today finally the day? "I-I'm being transferred, sir? To the crime section? I've been applying for months now." One of Maggie's dearest wishes was to write about crime and legal proceedings, but for now, she was shackled to the culture section, writing nothing but celebrity gossip and movie reviews. It was drivel, but it paid the bills.

"Oh Zene, you're so funny. No, no transfer, not today. A new assignment, actually." Although her heart sank quite a bit, Maggie couldn't help but feel the familiar interest that accompanied a new assignment. It was an opportunity to investigate something, even if it was just what Klavier Gavin had for dinner at the new restaurant downtown last night.

"What is it, sir?"

"There's a magic show opening at the Penrose Theater in a couple days and they're doing a dress rehearsal open to the media. I want you to cover it. You did the Gramarye show last time, just…please don't get yourself kicked out by asking unrelated questions again." Maggie surreptitiously rolled her eyes. Just because she'd asked a few too many questions about the accident with Thalassa Gramarye and Magnifi Gramarye's murder, Valent Gramarye had actually demanded that she leave. At least she'd been able to write the article. "That way we don't have to brief anyone else on Troupe Gramarye, you've already done all the research." Maggie nodded. Good thing she still remembered all the pertinent information. "Anyways," the editor concluded, standing, "you should head over to the Penrose as soon as possible. The show starts in two hours."

Maggie gave her boss a cheerful mock salute, grabbing her notebook and sketchbook from her desk before hurrying out of the building and hailing a cab outside. As she directed the driver to the Penrose Theatre, she took a deep breath, getting herself in the writing mindset. Time to get to work.


	2. Chapter 1 - On the Case

"But sir, you have to let me keep reporting this one!" Maggie could hear her voice rising in desperation and tried to keep herself under control. "Please, I know I can write a great article on this!"

In truth, she was flummoxed by what had just taken place. A murder at the theater, and in the middle of the show to boot. It'd be all too easy to sensationalize the story, paint Trucy Wright as a deviant from her adopted father's pursuit of justice. But the look on the young magician's face when the man's body tumbled out of the coffin (rather gruesome, if Maggie was to be quite honest), something about it convinced her the girl wasn't to blame. She'd seemed so happy and alive earlier when Maggie had tried to interview her (admittedly without authorization) in the intermission, before she'd been kicked out by security. There was no way this bright magical girl had committed any kind of crime, even just manslaughter. As a reporter, she knew that trusting her instincts was imperative to doing her job and she was absolutely determined to investigate. All she had to do was convincer her editor…

"Please sir, I'm literally begging here. Let me stay on the story! I promise I'll make you proud, sir!" She heard the sigh from her editor.

"Maggie, we've talked about this. You're not on the crime team. You're a culture writer."

"Boss, I'll make you a deal. Let me get an interview with Miss Wright. I'll write up something and if you like it, I keep the story." When there was no immediate agreement, Maggie tried again. "I won't let you down, I promise."

One more second of silence. Maggie was barely breathing. "It had better be a damn good interview, Zene."

Maggie pumped her fists in the air silently, grinning broadly. "I promise it'll be a good one, sir. You won't regret this!" Hanging up her cell, Maggie jumped up and down, trying not to squeal aloud. She was finally getting the chance to prove herself and maybe, just maybe, this article would be the one that convinced the crime section she was worth having. Turning around, Maggie confidently pushed open the doors to the detention center. She'd been standing outside it the whole time, waiting for the green light that she knew her persistence would eventually bring her.

After she stated her business with the officer at the front desk, Maggie followed the guard down a narrow hallway, clutching her notebook and her sketchbook to her chest. She was trying to pump herself up – this was the single most important interview of her life and she couldn't risk messing this one up. Roused from her thoughts by voices coming down the hallway in the opposite direction, she turned sideways to allow a man in a bright red suit and an… interesting hairdo and a red-headed girl in a cute yellow blazer and skirt to pass her. They looked very familiar, but in her haze, Maggie just couldn't place them at the moment.

"Come on, Apollo! We need to get back to the theater!" The girl was egging the man on down the hallway, practically dragging him.

"Athena, calm down, I'm going as fast as I can." A sharper tug from the girl on the man's arm caused him to stumble right into Maggie. Her notebooks fell to the floor, but the man managed to catch her arm and steady her before Maggie followed suit. "Are you okay?! I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, you're okay. Don't worry about it," Maggie assured him. Upon closer inspection, he was pretty cute, with wide brown eyes and brown hair that stuck up in the front and… what was that glinting on his lapel? An attorney's badge? Suddenly, it all fell into place. These people were Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes from the Wright Anything Agency, where Trucy worked as well. They must be defending her in court tomorrow. "You're Apollo Justice, aren't you?"

The man looked surprised, but nodded. "That's me. How did you know who I am?"

Maggie smiled. "I'm a reporter. It's my job to know all the major players in a story I'm working on. You're Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes, defense attorneys at the Wright Anything Agency with Trucy Wright. I assume you'll be defending her, correct?" Maggie had already flipped open her notebook, ready to take down his answer.

"Of course we will! She didn't do it, after all," Athena butted in, a brilliant grin on her face.

"And do you plan on accepting the manslaughter charge or will you fight for complete acquittal?"

"Trucy didn't do it," Apollo countered firmly. "She's not guilty."

"And you're on your way to investigate the crime scene now?"

"Yeah, we are! If this guy will hurry up, that is," Athena answered, rolling her eyes. _'He's such a slowpoke. Always like this, that one.'_ Maggie started as the necklace around Athena's neck piped up suddenly. "Shh, Widget!" Athena scolded, covering the necklace with her hand.

"Well, I won't keep you then. Thank you for talking to me. Good luck investigating." Maggie nodded to them, smiling.

"Hey, wait, you never told us your name," Apollo said quickly. "I mean, that's only fair, right?"

"Oh, that was rude of me, huh? I'm Maggie. Nice to meet you." Maggie closed her notebook while talking, starting to walk away down the hall behind the guard. "Maybe I'll see you again soon."

At least she hoped she would. She was going to need to investigate, too, so it was inevitable that if she got permission (or was sneaky enough), she'd run into the lawyers again.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Interview

The guard closed the door loudly behind Maggie, who hesitantly took a seat in the uncomfortable chair. This was the first time she'd been here and she wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Before she had time to think, the door on the other side of the glass opened and Trucy Wright was led in. The younger girl sat down, giving Maggie a bright smile.

"I wasn't expecting another visitor so soon, I didn't even get halfway down the hall." Maggie felt her heart break a little – Trucy's eyes were red-rimmed and her smile seemed slightly forced.

"I'm Maggie Zene, Ms. Wright. I'm really sorry for any inconvenience, I just… I just wanted to talk to you. Get your side of the story." Maggie suddenly felt uneasy. What if Trucy didn't want to talk to her? Who would want to talk about a crime they were suspected of committing? But Trucy was shaking her head, still smiling.

"Do you know why I agreed to talk to you? They told me you were a reporter, and looking at you now, I actually remember seeing you backstage at the show. Were you trying to get an interview with me then? I was going to come talk to you before I went back onstage, but when I turned back, you were gone." Maggie nodded hesitantly, hoping she wasn't blowing any sense of credibility she had. "I've seen the news – everyone's talking about the accident already and no one is asking for my story. But you're different. You actually came to ask me questions. So I want to tell you everything you want to know."

"I mean, of course I did," Maggie replied without thinking. "To find the truth you have to examine every angle. And that includes your version of events. It's part of objective reporting. The world has enough of the sensationalized story right now, no one is asking for your point of view. That's why I'm here. I want to hear the part of the truth that only you have."

Trucy laughed. "You sound like Polly. He's always going on about that kind of thing. The truth and all that. Daddy too, I guess. It's a lawyer thing."

"Polly?" Maggie repeated in confusion before putting two and two together. "Do you mean Apollo Justice? He and Athena Cykes are your defense counsel, right?"

Trucy nodded. "How did you know? Did you meet them already?"

Maggie flipped open her notebook as she answered. "I ran into Mr. Justice and Ms. Cykes on the way in here. They seem very… determined to get you a complete acquittal." Flipping her bangs out of her eyes, she smiled at Trucy. "Now, it's my turn to ask the questions, Ms. Wright."

Trucy waved her hand, leaning back in her chair, her smile slowly becoming real. "Please, call me Trucy. And let me ask one last one. I'm curious. Why are you here? If you wanted an interview with me earlier, before the accident, you're not a crime reporter. You've gotta be some kind of entertainment or culture person, right? So what are you doing here now?"

Maggie tapped her pen against her lips. "Good question. I guess it started as just me wanting to move up – I really do want to be a crime reporter. But now that I've talked to you and to your attorneys, I know there's another reason. I have to follow my instincts, and my instincts say that there's something beneath the surface here, and I feel like it's my responsibility to report it. Ms Wri-ah, Trucy, I don't think you did anything wrong, and if I can investigate and help prove it somehow, I really want to."

Trucy looked slightly overwhelmed for a second, before regaining her bright grin. "I'm really glad to have another person in my corner, Ms. Zene. Can I call you Maggie?"

Maggie nodded, smiling back. In truth, she was feeling a bit emotional herself, seeing how affected the young magician across from her was. "Now it's really my turn to ask questions."

"Okay, but you have to promise to use 'Trucy Wright, magical girl' somewhere in the article, okay?"

"I will, I promise."

An hour later, Maggie had two full pages of notes, front and back, and a new friend. Trucy had told her about the victim, Mr. Reus, and about everything that had happened onstage to the best of her knowledge, with the exception of how the tricks were performed – cheekily replying only with "a magician never reveals her secrets." It was still a lot of good material and Maggie had no doubt she could write a good article that could maybe change people's minds about Trucy's guilt, or at least give them something else to think about.

"Thanks Trucy, this was really helpful. I promise I'll do my best to write something good."

"I know it'll be great, Maggie, don't worry." Trucy tapped a finger to her chin. "Polly and Athena might still be investigating at the theatre. Maybe you should go see if you can catch up to them. If you tell them I sent you, they might give you some good quotes or something. At least Athena will. Polly will probably just tell you he's fine."

"I mean, I'd like to, but I highly doubt they'll just let me walk right in. I'm sure there's police all over the place, and I'm a reporter, not an attorney or anything. They're there to keep people like me out."

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Trucy replied. "If you get in there and tell Apollo and Athena that I sent you, they'll definitely help you out. And you'll be at the trial tomorrow, right? You can have the interview with all of us afterward!"

"You're really optimistic, aren't you?" Maggie winced as soon as that came out of her mouth – it was harsher than she intended. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay," Trucy interrupted her. "I know what you're saying. I was really nervous before. But then Polly and Athena came, and Polly… he reminded me that he believes in me. And so I believe in him too. Both of them. That's why I can be like this."

"You're really strong, Trucy. I'm really glad to have met you." Maggie smiled, standing up. Trucy stood as well. "Thank you for talking to me. And by the way… your show was really amazing so far. I hope I can get a good seat when you open for real."

"Front row, if you promise to write a glowing review."

"I write it as I see it. So… probably so."

"Good luck investigating, Maggie! And… thank you."

Leaving Trucy behind, Maggie exited the detention center with bolstered determination. She was going to find the truth behind this crime, if only for Trucy's sake. And if she could write an eye-opening article, all the better. But first, how to get past those guards…


	4. Chapter 3 - The Investigation

Maggie took a deep breath, clutching her bag closer to her chest, her gaze wandering over the theater's somewhat imposing façade. After her interview with Trucy, she'd gone back to the office and typed up her first article, detailing only objective facts that she'd witnessed herself and Trucy's account of the events onstage. It had taken longer than she'd anticipated to write it, then she had to wait for her editor to read and approve, which took even longer. But finally, he'd given her the all clear, and she was back at the Penrose.

The place had calmed down a bit, although there was definitely police presence around the main doors. However, Trucy had mentioned the backstage door during her interview, and Maggie hoped she may have more luck there. As she began to search for it, she heard a voice call out to her.

"Hey, it's you again!" She turned around quickly to see Apollo and Athena approaching her. "Maggie, right?" Athena asked, and Maggie nodded.

"Trucy told us about you. You wanted to get her side of the story," Apollo said, seemingly studying her. "That's pretty admirable of you."

Maggie felt slightly uneasy – she had the sense that his intense gaze would be able to detect everything about her, which kind of freaked her out. "I mean, yeah. There's already enough of this story out there with only one side. I want to be able to give the public the truth."

"See, nothing, right? I told you, Apollo," Athena replied in exasperation. "Trucy was right about her. She's a good guy." Maggie was alarmed. Did they talk about her?

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry," Apollo apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "You just never can be sure." The attorney looked around casually before turning his attention back to Maggie. "So what are you doing here? Trying to snoop around the crime scene?"

"I would prefer a word other than 'snoop,' Mr. Justice, but yeah, basically. I would like to look around for myself if I can." Maggie couldn't hide a grin. The thought of investigation did excite her.

"Please…" Apollo muttered, looking slightly embarrassed, fidgeting a bit. "You can call me Apollo. It's really fine."

"And I'm Athena!" Athena piped up cheerily. "Why don't you come with us? We were just going back to the dressing room."

Maggie gaped at the attorneys. "R-Really? That's okay? I mean, I'm not a lawyer, I'm just a reporter…"

"Relax, it'll be fine, just stick with us," Athena reassured her. Leading the way, Athena gave a cheery salute to the policeman at the door, who opened it for her. Maggie followed close behind, trying not to look too terribly nervous, while Apollo brought up the rear, still looking slightly antsy.

"So why did you guys need to come back here? Did you not find everything you needed on your first visit?" Maggie asked in a hushed tone as they climbed the stairs to the stage, making their way to the backstage area.

"We did find a lot of forensic evidence here before," Apollo answered, "but there's something we definitely need to follow up on." He sighed. "Trucy's signature is on a contract that could get the office in a lot of trouble. Three million dollars worth of trouble."

Maggie's eyes widened. "T-Three million? That's a lot…"

"Trucy didn't sign that contract," Apollo continued with determination. "There's got to be some kind of trick. That's why we're heading to the dressing room now."

A minute later, Athena pushed open the door, allowing everyone in. "Okay, Apollo, Trucy signed the contract in here, we saw here. There's gotta be some hint in here as to how the trick was done."

"I'll help too," Maggie chimed in. "If I can, anyway. You guys did get me in here after all."

After a few minutes of searching, Apollo held up a clipboard. "Isn't this what Trucy signed the contract on?"

"I think so, yeah," Athena replied. "How does it work?"

"It's like a folder, I think. Some people at the magazine use them to carry around research when they're on the beat," Maggie answered. "You just have to open the top part there, and there's storage inside. I bet that's where the contract was when Trucy signed it."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Apollo said, examining the inside of the clipboard. "This screw seems a little off… or a lot off. It just came out completely!" He held up the tiny silver screw. "I think there's something behind it."

"Did you just break that, Apollo?!" Athena scolded, but Apollo shushed her quickly.

"I think it's a button."

"Here," Maggie passed him a pencil from the table and Apollo used the tip to press the tiny hidden button. There was an almost imperceptible click and a portion of the back of the clipboard slipped off completely. Maggie managed to catch it before it hit the ground.

"T-Thanks," Apollo said to her, examining the revealed compartment. "What's this piece of paper?"

"I don't know…" Athena said, moving to check it too.

"Oh, that's carbon paper!" Maggie exclaimed, noting how the back part of the panel she was holding was stained slightly darker. "It's used to make copies of things. If you put it between two pieces of paper, whatever you write on the top one is copied onto the bottom one. Like a receipt or… a signature…"

"So when Trucy signed the contract…" Athena began as everyone began to piece the events together.

"What she wrote on the real one was transferred to the fake one!" Apollo concluded.

"That's how Trucy was conned!" Maggie said firmly. "But who-"

"It has to be the Rating Rajah's doing!" Athena spat angrily. "It must have taken a lot to trick Trucy, but he did it anyway!"

"The Rating Rajah? You mean Roger Retinz?" Maggie asked, pulling out her notebook and making a note.

"That's the one!"

"We should take this clipboard with us, in case we take this to court," Apollo said, tucking the clipboard under his arm. "But wait, Maggie, how did you know about the carbon paper?"

"Oh, uh…" Maggie flushed. "I use it in my art sometimes. It makes really nice patterns."

"You're an artist?"

"Not really, I mean, kind of, I guess, I'm just an amateur…"

"Not to break up the party here, Apollo, but we still have one more place to look around! To the Abyss!" Athena crowed, rushing out of the room.

"The Abyss?"

"The understage area," Apollo explained as the two exited the room as well. "Bonny was supposed to open it for us so we could take a look around. Hey, would you want to talk to the lead detective on this case? I'm sure if I asked, Ema would be happy to talk to you."

"Y-You could do that? Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Apollo! I can't believe this!" Maggie tried to refrain from jumping up and down, but her smile gave away her excitement.

Apollo looked even more embarrassed, his face turning a little darker, or maybe it was just the shadows in the hallway. "Sure thing. I'll take you to meet her, then you can come to the understage area when you're done and meet up with Athena and me, in case you have any more questions."

As Apollo led her onstage and began a conversation with the lab coat-clad detective, Maggie couldn't believe her good fortune. And as the attorney shot her a shy smile before disappearing backstage again, Maggie couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat. Apollo Justice was someone she'd definitely be interested in getting to know more about, or maybe even just getting to know in general. But for now, work came first. Play could come later.


	5. Chapter 4 - The Understage

After finishing up with Ema Skye, who was very enthusiastic about the forensic side of the case once she knew the details wouldn't hit the press until after they were revealed in trial, Maggie climbed down into the understage area, where Apollo and Athena were examining a small rack of props. "Is that the sword Trucy used in the trick, do you think?" she asked, her sudden appearance causing Apollo to jump.

"I didn't hear you come down!"

"Sorry," Maggie said sheepishly, ignoring Athena cracking up beside them while imitating Apollo's startled face.

"In answer to your question, kind of? Trucy asked us not to reveal her tricks to anyone, even you."

"Oh, okay, that's fine."

"Hey, hey guys, hold on. I hear… voices… We need to hide!" Athena interrupted urgently, grabbing their arms.

"I don't hear anyth-" Maggie began but Athena pulled them into the shadows, shoving Maggie and Apollo behind some boxes.

"Hurry and get down there!"

"YEOW! My arm doesn't bend that way!" Apollo moaned. "What the heck, Athena?!"

"Shhhhh," Athena whispered, "just listen."

Maggie strained her ears, but it was hard to hear anything over her rapidly beating heart. Athena had shoved them down in such a way that Maggie's back was pressed against the box behind them and she was directly facing Apollo, who was crouched in front of her. They were so close together she thought she could hear his breath ghosting over her forehead, but she may have been imagining it. She met his eyes cautiously, which was a mistake, because his flustered expression (probably mirroring her own) caused her to look down quickly, her cheeks red, but not before noticing his seemed a little darker as well. She was shaken from her thoughts by the voices Athena had heard – it seemed to take a while for them to get here, didn't it?

A loud sigh came first, followed by a female voice Maggie recognized as the other female magician in the show, Bonnie. "It is so much WORK pretending to be cute and sweet." Without moving too much, Maggie reached into her bag beside her for her notebook, opening it silently and preparing to take notes. This could be a scoop.

"Hey bunny! Wait for me!" A male voice, one Maggie recognized from television specials as the Ratings Rajah, Roger Retinz, called after the girl. They'd discussed him earlier, something about Trucy's contract… She wrote down as many details as she could remember about him, planning to do more research later. She tried to ignore Apollo's expression while trying to read her writing upside down, jumping when he whispered to Athena.

"Why did we have to hide, Athena?"

Athena, who was sitting behind a box beside them, looked over, her eyes serious. "Because I heard something funny. There's something off in their voices…" She trailed off, apparently deep in concentration. Maggie was utterly lost, and it must have showed on her face, because Apollo was quick to answer her unasked question as quietly as possible.

"Athena has super-sensitive hearing. She's in tune to the emotions in people's voices."

"Oh wow…"

"And, you know, just for the record, I can tell when people are lying by analyzing their tells. Not like I'm trying to show off or anything, just letting you know-"

"Will you two pipe down, they're talking again," Athena hissed, although Maggie could just make out that she was trying not to laugh at Apollo's chagrined expression.

"Those lawyers are poking around, trying to stir up trouble," Bonnie complained. "Should I be worried?"

"Relax! I didn't say anything to the police, and I won't say anything to them either!" Retinz replied, and Maggie looked at Apollo with raised eyebrows, making notes without looking down. What could these two have to hide from the police?

"You better not! Or you're gonna get it! POW! Right in the kisser!"

"What the…? Bonnie seems entirely different from how she was when we met her earlier…" Apollo muttered, and Maggie wrote that down too, not replying out loud.

"Apollo, shhh!" Athena scolded.

"I'm sick and tired of this whole investigation," Bonnie continued. "All I want is Trucy's head on a platter!"

"Holy…" Maggie whispered. "This girl has quite the thing against Trucy, right?"

"But she didn't feel this way when we talked to her earlier. She felt the opposite, in fact," Apollo replied quietly, his eyebrows furrowed, clearly thinking hard. In the back of her mind, Maggie thought it was kind of cute.

Retinz laughed. "Leave everything to me, babe. Don't forget the power of mass media! TV can accomplish anything! I'll make sure Trucy gets much worse than a guilty verdict!" Maggie wondered if Retinz really had anything to do with the one-sided media coverage while drawing a possible romantic link between Bonnie and Retinz, which caused Apollo to wrinkle his nose in disgust, which in turned caused Maggie to cover her mouth to silence her laugh.

Bonnie scoffed before continuing. "I can't wait to see that girl crying and begging for mercy."

"You really hate Trucy, don't you, bunny?"

"I hate her. I LOATHE her. I can't stand that Trucy Wright! Just because she's a little good at magic, she thinks she's all that! So this is exactly what that sniveling brat deserves!" At this point, Apollo and Maggie were tugging on Athena's sleeves as best they could given their position to keep the girl from jumping out and giving Bonnie a smackdown. Bonnie continued speaking. "If you mess this up, you're gonna really be sorry, you hear me? I'll crush you flat. Like a cockroach under my foot!"

"Oh you cute little thing!" The baby talk from Retinz was enough to get the three hiding to sit back in various stages of disgust. "You're so adorable when you're throwing a fit!" He squealed in pain as Maggie underlined the romantic note three times. "OW! OW! My foot! Can't you take a joke?"

"C'mon! Grab my things! We're leaving!"

"Lead the hippity-hopping way, my little bun-bun!" After they were sure that the pair was gone, Apollo, Athena, and Maggie slowly poked their heads out of hiding to ensure that the coast was clear. Apollo stood and extended a hand to help Maggie up, which she took, hoping it was too dark to see her blushing cheeks.

"Thanks," she murmured, busily putting her notebook back in her bag to avoid his eyes.

"Sure thing."

"So… what was that absolutely revolting scene all about?" Athena interrupted, still looking disturbed.

"I guess the entertainment industry attracts all kinds of eccentrics…" Apollo replied half-heartedly.

"But hey, I've been doing this reporting thing for a long time, and that conversation sets off literally every red flag in the book," Maggie piped up. "There's something going on here."

"You said it. I smell plot with a capital 'P.U.'!" Athena said, her hands on her hips.

"But Retinz said he was at the studio the whole time, and we all saw Bonnie onstage ourselves," Apollo reasoned.

"You could always pay Take-2 TV a visit," Maggie suggested. "It's a little out of the way, but you might get some information there about Retinz. I'm afraid I don't know much about him, I'm not assigned to that beat."

"That's a good idea. We can check up on his alibi while we're there. Thanks Maggie. You won't come with us?" Apollo asked, seeming a little disappointed.

"No, I should go work on this article. With the information I got from Ema and from the investigation here, I have more than enough. Plus I'll have the trial coverage as well."

"You'll come tomorrow then?" Apollo asked, grinning shyly, his hand rubbing his spikes. Maggie nodded, smiling back at him.

"Wouldn't miss it. I'm looking forward to seeing you two in action."

"Oh no, don't tell him that. He'll be practicing his Chords of Steel forever now," Athena groaned.

"Um, Chords of Steel?"

"You'll see tomorrow," Apollo and Athena replied together, with decidedly different expressions.

"I guess I will. Thanks for letting me tag along today, you guys. I really appreciate it."

"No problem! See you tomorrow!" Athena said, flashing a peace sign and smiling brightly, elbowing Apollo when he didn't respond right away.

"Oh, yeah, for sure, see you tomorrow."

Maggie waved at both of them, exiting the theater and letting the cool air calm her still burning cheeks down. She was still a little flustered from being that close to Apollo and she had to admit, she was excited for the trial tomorrow. Chords of Steel, huh… She couldn't wait to find out more about that.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Trial and The End

Maggie laid her head down on her desk, groaning. She hadn't thought Retinz was serious about what he said in the understage, but it was true. Every television show, every news network, and even every print source was doing nothing but blaming Trucy for the murder. "Talk about court of public opinion," she muttered to herself, scanning some of the headlines of the papers she'd bought on her way to work. "Seriously… 'The Magical Murder,' 'The Wright Time for a Crime,' 'Houdini's New Trick – Murder?'… These are all awful." Glancing over at her colleagues, Maggie noticed they were all gathered around an iPad, which was playing the morning news. It was covering the trial, of course, showing a live feed of the entrance to the courthouse. Although she couldn't hear any audio, she could see a familiar red suit just going through the doors.

Checking her watch, Maggie grabbed her bag, ensuring both her notebooks were inside. The courthouse was just a few blocks from her office, so it was time for a stroll down the street to cover the biggest trial of the year. Maggie was nervous, both for her article and for the verdict. She was forced to admit last night that there was no way this article would be objective, but given what she had learned about the players and about the crime itself, she was sure the truth was on her side. And that was the real goal of all of this, wasn't it? To give the public the truth. Maggie hurried out the doors, clutching the strap of her bag anxiously. Maybe if she hurried, she'd have time for one last interview with the defense team before the trial started.

Maggie took her seat inside the courtroom, flipping to a fresh page of notes. Apollo and Athena had been more than happy to answer her last minute questions, and she'd even gotten a few quotes from Trucy, who'd cast a few meaningful looks between Apollo and Maggie, raising her eyebrows. Maybe she'd talked with Athena. She was trying to figure out exactly how to weave Apollo's scratchy throat (from all his Chords of Steel training, apparently) into her article when the doors opened and Apollo and Athena entered the courtroom, Trucy and the bailiff just behind them. They were followed by a man with a long purple braid, a mysteriously flowing scarf, and an overly calm aura. This must be the prosecutor Ema had told her about – Nahyuta Sadmadhi. He had a very impressive record, Maggie had learned from her research, so she was more than interested in seeing him in court.

Looking across the room, she briefly made eye contact with Apollo, who gave her a shy wave. Maggie flashed him a grin and a thumbs up, mouthing 'go get 'em!' cheerfully. She may have been imagining it, but his face seemed to turn the slightest bit darker and he let out a cough, causing Athena to roll her eyes and mutter something about 'overdoing it again.' Before he could respond (and judging by his face, he was going to), the judge entered the courtroom and called the trial to order. Maggie grabbed her sketchbook out as well, beginning to draw idly as the opening business was taken care of. It was going to be a long and interesting day.

Maggie was waiting on the courthouse steps after the trial ended – the guards wouldn't let her back into the defendant's lobby, so this was the next best thing. Finally, the doors opened to reveal Apollo, Athena, and Trucy, all wearing the same expression, a mixture of elated and relieved.

"Congratulations, Trucy!" Maggie called, waving before approaching the group. "And great job Athena and Apollo! That was… quite a trial."

"What do you think, enough for an exciting article?" Trucy asked.

"It doesn't really matter if it's exciting or not, as long as it's the truth. That's what the public wants," Maggie answered, shrugging. "But… I think it'll be pretty exciting."

"As long as you feature the magical and beautiful Trucy Wright dazzling the courtroom with her sword swapping, it'll sell in no time!"

"I'll be sure to do that," Maggie said, laughing. Then she looked over at Apollo, who was decidedly looking anywhere but at her. "And, well, I was hoping maybe we could go, um… go out for coffee or something sometime."

It took Apollo a second to respond, looking at her incredulously for a minute. Trucy and Athena quickly stepped away, casting knowing glances at the two of them and seemingly trying to keep their giggling to a minimum. "M-me?" His voice cracked, which made Maggie laugh.

"Yeah, you."

"Oh, uh… yeah. I'd like that." Apollo rubbed his spikes, looking embarrassed, but pleased. "I guess… I'll call you?"

"Anytime." Maggie checked her watch (mostly to avoid looking at Apollo anymore – she was sure she was as red as his suit). "I'd better get going. This article won't write itself." She looked up, giving the three of them one last beaming smile. "Thank you so much for all your help. I really appreciate it."

"Thank you too," Apollo replied quickly. "Your article was the only good one out there."

"Hopefully this upcoming one won't be." Maggie turned toward her office, waving one last time. "I'll see you all soon, I'm sure!"

As she reached the next corner, Maggie's fingers brushed against something in her pocket and she wrinkled her brow in confusion, pulling it out. It was a front row ticket to Trucy's magic show, with a phone number labeled 'Apollo' in clearly girly writing. Now she knew why Trucy looked so pleased with herself. Apparently she'd be seeing them again sooner than even she'd anticipated. And if she was honest with herself, Maggie couldn't wait.


End file.
